The present invention relates to a manually operable clipping machine for producing a plait-like portion on a tubular packaging casing.
In particular, the invention concerns a manually operable clipping machine for producing sausage-shaped products, for example sausages, with a plait-like portion on a tubular packaging casing which accommodates a filling material, in particular sausage meat, wherein the plait-like portion is at least approximately free of filling material and comprises a longitudinal extending plait-axis. The clipping machine comprises a first displacer unit with a first pair of upper and lower displacer elements wherein at least the upper displacer element is reversibly movable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extending plait-axis between an opened and a closed position. Thereby, the opened position is the maximum displacement between the upper and lower displacer elements and the closed position is the minimum position between the upper and lower displacer elements. Beyond that, the clipping machine comprises a second displacer unit with a second pair of upper and lower displacer elements wherein also at least the upper displacer element is reversibly movable in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal extending plait-axis between an opened and a closed position. Thereby, the opened position is the maximum displacement between the upper and lower displacer elements and the closed position being the minimum position between the upper and lower displacer elements. Furthermore, the second displacer unit is reversibly movable parallel to the longitudinal extending plait-axis between a narrow position in which the second displacer unit is adjacent to the first displacer unit, and a spread position in which the second displacer unit is moved away from the first displacer unit. Also, the clipping machine comprises closing means for fitting at least one clip onto the plait-like portion.
In sausage production, it is possible to use, for example, a manually operable clipping-machine for closing the ends of a sausage-shaped product (in the following, the expression “sausage-shaped” is equivalent to the term “sausage-like”). Thereby, a tubular casing made from a flexible sheet-like packaging material is filled with sausage meat via a filling tube wherein the tubular casing is closed by a closure means, referred to as a closing clip, at its front end, i.e. the end being directed in the feeding direction of the filling material.
These manually operable clipping-machines are usually equipped with a hand-lever with which the user can operate displacer units of the clipping-machine, i.e. open and close the displacer units. The displacer units are used for producing a gathered plait-like portion which is at least approximately free of filling material, after the filling operation is concluded, a gathered plait-like portion. Two clips are then applied to the plait-like portion, a first closing clip in order to close the second or back end of the just filled sausage product and a second closing clip in order to close the first or front end of the subsequent sausage product. Thereafter, said plait-like portion is severed between said two set clips creating one complete sausage product and a tubular casing for the next sausage product to be filled is closed at its front end. Such a practice for producing sausages is disclosed, for example, by U.S. Pat. No. 4,807,345 or 4,827,591.
Within the typical sausage production, different types of sausage products can be produced. These different types of sausage products are typically characterized by different calibers, i.e. the actual diameter of the sausage product, overall length, specific kind of the filling material as well as packaging casing material etc. Also, the physique of the operators who are potentially using the clipping-machine, can differ in a great amount. There are, for example, taller and stronger or smaller and weaker operators. The variety of these operators can span from being very small and weak to very tall and strong. So far, none of the prior art manually operable clipping-machines can be adapted in an appropriate manner, in order to suit these different characteristics of the different sausage products and/or operators. Running a manually operable clipping-machine which is not set-up to the appropriate conditions, can mean a very inefficient and even costly production.